Predator
Boq is a mouse living in ThunderClan territory, trying to escape the perils of the cats that hunt him. From his eyes, Forestpaw13 tells a tale of love and hatred. Because, where would we be without it? :I see it, finally. :A seed. Laying underneath a tree, about a cat-length away from me. :I am hiding underneath a leaf, hiding from the obvious predators around me- cats. :Roran, my best friend, is next to me, his nose twitching. :"You get it," I whisper. "If there's one here, there's more around." :Roran looks at me. "You sure?" he whispers back. :"Of course." I want to stay here, away from the cats I can hear coming with my highly trained ears. They are meowing loudly. I can feel their pawsteps vibrating in the earth. :Roran doesn't sense it. He scampers to the seed, squeaking, "Thanks, Boq!" :Boq. The name of my grandfather. I wonder where he is now. In a cat's stomach? :A cat's paw lands in front of me. I clutch the earth in fear, and hold back a squeak of terror. :Roran senses the cats now. It's too late. :He is swept off the ground with a cry of pain and fear. :That is the last time I ever see Roran alive. :But why are we here? I must tell you. Chapter 1 - Out :"Get away from here," a mouse whispered. :"No," I insisted. :"Boq," my mother, Gina, murmured. "You can't leave for another two sunrises, and even then, you'll be escorted." :I cursed. "Why do we have to wait so long?" :"The cats," Gina replied. :"What about the cats?" I asked. :"They kill us mice," Gina explained. "No mouse has ever survived a cat's claws." :I shivered. Not from cold. "Why?" I asked, "why would they kill us?" :"For food," Gina explained sadly. :Another older mouse wandered up to the guard. "Can I go out?" :"You're too young," the guard sniffed. "You can go out tomorrow." :I looked on in wonder. This older mouse can't go out, either? :The older mouse looked annoyed. "I've waited for five sunrises." :"It's too late today," the guard replied snottily. "Leave me now." :The older mouse turned and saw me. I was a day younger, but it was already much bigger than me. :I feel hatred towards this mouse all of a sudden. :The other mouse must have seen something, because it squeaked, "What's wrong?" :I turned on it. :It walked away. :I scuffled through the pile of seeds, trying to find the biggest one. :It was down to two seeds, and I was deciding if the bigger one really was on the right. :It was. I was about to pick it up when the mouse from the day before came up to me and took it. "You don't mind, do you?" :I did. "No." :"Good." The mouse took the seed away from me and settled about a cat-length away. :I sighed and took the other one. :The older mouse waved me over, and I glared at it and walked away. :When the day finally came that I was allowed outside, the older mouse had been out all the time. I had rarely seen it. :But that day, I did. :It padded up to me. :"I'm Roran," it said. A male name. :"Boq," I sighed. "My name is Boq." :Roran nodded and his eyes shone like the sun outside. "Now we're friends!" he squeaked happily. :I sighed. "Sure." :And so it was. Chapter 2 - Roran and the Cat :I watched as my mother disappeared into the inside world. :I glanced around. :I was outside for the first time. :My escort? Roran. :I couldn't help but hate the situation I was in. :Roran sniffed. "I passed my test yesterday," he squeaked. "I'm a full-fledged mouse now. I can go out and hopefully avoid the cats that live here." :I hated his bragging. :He looked at me. "I can help you pass yours," he said. :I snorted. :I heard a noise. :"Cat!" Roran cried. He grabbed me by the tail and pulled me beneath a leaf. :I peered out from beneath and saw two creatures- cats?- standing, facing each other. :I could understand them. :The first one, which was gray, snarled, "I won't give up my deputy for your Clan." :The second one made a noise deep in its throat. "Then ShadowClan will attack." :The other cat spat, "Why not kill me now?" :"I want to kill your Clan." :Roran gasped, I nursed my now-bleeding tail. :What was going on?